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Please help me! My 9 month old is ruining us.

5 replies

MissL21 · 18/11/2024 04:02

Hi, I'm posting here for advice on who the hell I need to see to get help. We have 2 boys, one almost 3 and the other 9 months. Our 9 month old hasn't been a good sleeper since the day he was born. Been told numerous times 'it's just a phase'. Well it's not getting better. At all. And I physically and mentally cannot cope anymore. Our eldest went through phases but this is not a phase. He fights going to sleep for hours and hours upon end. Every. Single. Day/night. Every single night we go through the same thing of him screaming, fighting, thrashing around until he finally gives in. And if he doesn't wake Every half an hour to an hour all night and we do actually manage to get 3/4( if we're lucky) hours in a row. He then wakes up and like tonight has been awake screaming since 11.50...... 4 hours!!!!! He has been screaming and keeping our entire house awake for 4 hours. My partner and I both have to be up for work in 2 hours. Our toddler has nursery. This happens every day and we can't carry on living like this. Last week be woke at 11.15 and was awake until 4.45am..... and the next day slept for a grand total of 2 15 minute naps ALL DAY! This is not normal!? Surely!? We have googled and tried everything we can think of. We have the same routine. He used to co sleep with us but that didn't work, he's in his own room, he has a night light, Ollie the owl white noise machine, I've tried playing soothing music on my phone, lullaby etc, qeve tried silence, cry it out, he then gets himself in so much of a state he urges to be sick. He still wakes for bottles in the night so we thought this could be down to him being hungry but he just wont take to food other than porridge, which I do give him before bed to try and help but it doesn't seem to be working. At around 6 months my partner came home from work and I'd had the frantic screaming all day, it continued through the evening and we phoned 111, they advised him to be seen as could hear the screaming. Which he was, the doctor even got a second opinion but they couldn't find anything wrong and gave us a leaflet on crying babies...... honestly please help. What do we do? Who do we see? I had a panic attack last week as I can see a way through this. I'm not a worrier normally but I feel like our family is falling to pieces, we are all absolutely exhausted and I'm beginning to feel so much resentment and regret at having him which I feel so guilty about even thinking let alone writing here.
Also we do have family thag have offered to have them/him overnight but I feel so guilty putting that onto someone else. My mum cares for my nan during the day so she's exhausted and my sister also works so I'd feel awful putting that tiredness onto someone else.
Sorry for long rant at 4am. I just don't know where to go with this now.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
TinyMouseTheatre · 18/11/2024 07:21

That sounds beyond what everyone normally has to cope with. I think that you need to speak to your HV and ask her if there's a sleep clinic that she can refer you to. Sometimes they have a HV who is trained in helping babies to sleep.

I'd also speak to your GP about how this is affecting you.

If you don't shy to put this on anyone else, could you and DC1 go and stay at your DMs first a night and DH and DC1 go and stay the next night? This will give you each a full night's sleep and give DC1 two which should help you all.

I'd also check that DC2 is getting enough calories during the day as I know that mine would wake is we hadn't got enough in when they were awake.

You don't say how you're feeding him. Have you considered that he may have CMPA? If you're FFing, you could try a comfort formula and if you're BFing have a read of this article from Kellymom in food sensitivities.

Before you speak to the HV it might also be worth filling in the 9 month Ages & Stages and the 12 month Social & Emotional Ages & Stages so that your HV can see if there's anything else going on with his behaviour and development.

I hope that some of this helps Flowers

Motherofdragons20 · 18/11/2024 21:23

I’m generally against sleep training, have never done it myself even with my shit sleeping toddler. hOWEVER I have never been in the situation you are it. It sounds beyond normal poor sleeping baby and it’s absolutely not sustainable. I would give controlled crying a go, yes it will be hard and you may feel guilty about it but let’s be honest he’s crying anyway and this is obviously affecting everyone in the family.

Jumbocord · 19/11/2024 08:53

How do you feed him, is it possible he's hungry? Also, how much are you holding him or cuddling him - I know the more you do, the more they cling, but it settles them down a lot. He may want more holding.

MissL21 · 19/11/2024 21:21

Thanks so much for your replies. We are formula feeding, we have tried and tried with food, he just will not take to it. (The total opposite of my other son who went onto porridge etc from 4 months and ate everything possible at 9 months)
DS2 just isn't keen. He will sometimes have porridge or biscottis mushed into milk but that's it. Any form of jar/pouch/home pureed food he spits out. We have considered the fact that this could be down to hunger but have no idea how to improve that if he won't eat.
I did contact the doctors yesterday and explained everything I've said here. I had an email reply to say someone will contact within 14 days.
Thanks also for the ages and stages form, I'll take a look at that as well. I have thought about maybe dropping into our local family hub clinic on Thursday and asking them.
Thanks again for the replies. It's nice to hear that it's not normal as I do feel like im going insane!

OP posts:
TinyMouseTheatre · 19/11/2024 21:28

I would fill in the Ages & Stages of you can before Thursday and then go to that drop in Flowers

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